This article describes the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and how the Missouri School for the Blind has been using it to measure its organizational effectiveness by focusing on the future, managing by fact, and creating innovative solutions to meet the needs of students, families, staff, and other service providers. (Contains references.)…

Introduces a special theme journal issue on research and education in quality control, maintenance, reliability, risk analysis, and safety. Discusses each of these theme concepts and their applications to naval architecture, marine engineering, and industrial engineering. Considers the effects of the rapid transfer of research results through…

Considers methodological issues which arose in undertaking a two-year British Library-funded research project--Assessment Tools for Quality Management in Public Libraries--and discusses the principal findings. The authors suggest that by using an active research methodology they were best able to produce a self-assessment tool-kit which matched…

Presents an overview of various approaches to evaluating inservice teacher education in the United Kingdom and elaborating on one approach: evaluation for decision making (including context evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation, product evaluation, and transfer evaluation). The paper also discusses some general principles to help…

Offers different school administrators' opinions on issues affecting education. Focuses on the Americans with Disabilities Act, school administration, business offices, contract services, energy concerns, school facilities, furniture and furnishings, hazardous materials, indoor air quality, lighting, maintenance, physical education, purchasing,…

Examines theoretical foundations and practical application of Translation Quality Assessment (TQA), particularly in translator training. Several approaches to translation are considered, especially the "functional" and "relevance" approaches. The need for TQA, several popular views on translation quality, and the issue of…

Discusses results of a British Library funded project investigating the training needs and opportunities of flexible workers in United Kingdom library and information services. Explains that managers need to attend to training of part-time and temporary workers, both to maintain quality service and to ensure compliance with discrimination…

A former superintendent explains the value of teamwork for solving problems involving bus passes, budgets, and faculty attrition. His continuous-quality-improvement initiatives sparked creative impulses while underscoring the importance of redesigning work procedures and giving people the time and encouragement to be inventive. (MLH)

Rather than burdening administrators, educators are discovering that a well-designed evaluation system can effectively merge professional development with quality assurance in teacher evaluation. New participatory evaluation approaches include differentiated systems, multiyear cycles, and active teacher roles (via portfolios, professional…

Many new, enthusiastic superintendents with backgrounds in business, law, and the military apply a service mentality and a results orientation. Profiles of Alan Bersin, John Stanford, Harold Levy, John Fryer, Brian Benzel, and Paul Vallas illustrate nontraditional leaders' challenges and accomplishments in the nation's largest school districts.…

Provides an overview of developments in higher education internationalization, from traditional forms such as student/staff mobility to exporting via branch campuses, transnational university networks, and virtual delivery. Discusses quality challenges, particularly recognition of foreign degrees and credits. Suggests the solution is integration…

The British experience with nationwide research quality assessment exercises and newly-introduced measures to improve research program accountability is described. Consequences for institutions of higher education and for the system as a whole are examined, using the University of Glasgow (Scotland) as an example. Utility of performance indicators…

A framework for improving student and course evaluation in higher education is presented. The framework is based on a simple quality control model. Suggestions for support mechanisms and resources for improving practice are also offered. (MSE)

A follow-up to a 1980 study investigated field instruction needs and research priorities in social work education, as perceived by 12 national experts. Participants saw the Delphi technique as useful in reaching consensus. Research priorities include empirical analysis of field experience outcomes, quality assurance, and processes to help field…

The impetus and focus of quality improvement efforts in higher education are examined, and a corporate grant program supporting the use of total quality management strategies in optometric education is described. Subsequent articles on grant-supported projects are previewed. (MSE)